A Georgia community is reeling after a horrific triple murder-suicide that claimed the lives of a man, his estranged wife, his pregnant girlfriend, and their unborn child. The tragedy unfolded over the course of several days, beginning early on May 21.
According to the Dalton Police Department, 37-year-old Kevin Andrew Akins fatally shot his estranged wife, Rebeca Nicole Akins, 35, inside her apartment on Murray Avenue in Dalton, a small city located about 30 miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Surveillance footage captured Akins entering and leaving the residence around 6 a.m., but Rebeca Akins’ body wasn’t discovered until more than two days later, when coworkers requested a welfare check after she failed to report for work. Apartment staff allowed police into the unit, where they found her dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
In a GoFundMe campaign, Rebeca’s younger sister mourned her loss, writing that she “was tragically taken away from us by the man she had loved for over half of her life.”
Police say Kevin Akins then drove across town to a second apartment on Shadow Lane, the home of his 33-year-old girlfriend, Cindel Mae Rhoden, who was five months pregnant with a baby boy and the mother of two daughters.
Akins allegedly shot and killed Rhoden, then turned the gun on himself.
The scene was discovered on May 24, when officers were awaiting a search warrant and Rhoden’s father used a key to enter the residence. He immediately called 911 after finding his daughter and Akins dead inside.
“Cindel was more than just a victim of this tragedy,” a second GoFundMe fundraiser for her family read. “She was kind, full of life, and a devoted mom doing her best for her girls.” Her two young daughters are now in the care of relatives.
While no motive has been released by authorities, Rebeca Akins’ family highlighted the financial entanglement that remained between her and Kevin Akins after two decades together.
“All of her financials were tied up in his,” her sister wrote. “She was on his life insurance policy, and given the nature of their deaths we are unsure what that means for it being able to pay for her funeral.”
The tragedy underscores the devastating ripple effects of domestic violence, particularly when financial dependency and custody arrangements are involved. Both families are now seeking public support to cover funeral expenses and provide stability for the surviving children.
Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the case.
